The inclusion of Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) Chairman, Zach Adedeji, in the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign structure has raised fresh questions about the boundary between public service and partisan politics, lawyer and public affairs analyst Frank Tietie has said.
Tietie argued that the controversy goes beyond the role of one government official, saying it points to what he described as a broader problem of blurred responsibilities and competing interests within the administration of President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking on ARISE NEWS on Monday, the lawyer said the chairman of the agency responsible for collecting national tax revenue should maintain professional distance from partisan fundraising.
“It was the height of indiscretion, indeed,” Tietie said.
He questioned why the country’s chief tax administrator should be involved in raising funds for the ruling party.
“Why would anybody lose a sense of discretion and propriety to that extent of making the taxman—the man who brings in revenue for Nigeria—to now be in charge of bringing revenue for the APC?” he asked.
Tietie said the development could create a damaging public perception that government officials entrusted with national resources are being drawn into the President’s political activities.
“It’s a mixture of many things: desperation to win, desperation to please the president, and a sense of irresponsibility to the Nigerian people,” he said.
The analyst stressed that the President remains the leader of the entire country, regardless of his position as leader of a political party.
“They are failing to make a distinction between party politics and governance. Yes, it’s an election year, but the president should not lose sight that he is the president of the entire Nigeria, not just of political parties,” he said.
Tietie described the controversy as part of a wider pattern of what he called “discordance” within the administration, alleging that competing interests could be influencing government decisions.
“I think it’s just discordance, the craze, and the rat race among the operators of the administration in pursuit of opportunities,” he said.
According to him, governance becomes vulnerable when public office is treated as an avenue for political or personal advantage rather than public service.
“Governance has become opportunistic, not necessarily for contributing anything to the improvement of governance, but as a way of getting a fair share of the national cake,” he said.
Tietie said the consequences ultimately fall on President Tinubu because controversial decisions made in his name are eventually associated with his administration.
“That discordance has affected governance in general, because so many things are done in the name of the president,” he said.
“Interestingly, only the president ultimately bears the responsibility for this discordance, dissonance, and embarrassment.”
The lawyer also warned that the involvement of the NRS chairman could undermine public confidence in the independence and neutrality expected of a tax administrator.
“The impression is very wrong and antithetical to the principles of democracy, governance, and separation of powers,” he said.
“It also underscores corruption. It simply implies that the taxman has collected money, gotten his share, and is now going to give it to the campaign of the president. Very wrong.”
Tietie said the NRS chairman should exercise discretion and avoid activities that could make his office appear partisan.
“In fact, the taxman ought to exercise some measure of independence, be discreet, and not be allowed to be involved in politics,” he said.
He also criticised the idea of placing an official responsible for generating trillions of naira for the country in a campaign finance role.
On former Kogi State senator Dino Melaye’s reported plan to challenge the appointment in court, Tietie said public criticism could be enough to force a reversal.
“Dino Melaye shouldn’t waste his time going to court. Sometimes, that’s the beauty of criticism: when you point out something that is wrong, people should make a U-turn,” he said.
Tietie further questioned whether presidential advisers were adequately protecting the President from decisions capable of generating political controversy.
“Is it a result of advisers who are not doing their job, who are embroiled in politics of self-interest to the extent that they forget to protect the president?” he asked.
He nevertheless said criticism of Tinubu should not prevent analysts from identifying weaknesses within the wider administration.
“So we have to be careful. While we criticise him, we must also point out these lapses. You cannot take the taxman to raise funds for your campaign,” Tietie said.
Frank Tietie
